


But It All Changed

by AQueenWithoutRules



Series: The Undertale Brothers, and How They Came to Be [4]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bondage, Character Death, Edging, Established Relationship, First Reset, Flowey Resets, Flowey wants to feel emotions, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fontcest, Gags, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Chasriel, Incest, M/M, NSFW, Nice Flowey, Nightmares, Origin Story, Origins, Relationship Issues, Relationship Problems, Resets, Sans is suffering, Well originally at least, this is not a happy fic, will add tags as I go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-21 12:49:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9549920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AQueenWithoutRules/pseuds/AQueenWithoutRules
Summary: It started with the flower.That little golden flower, with its ever smiling face.At first it wasn't bad.  It was kind, even.  It befriended Papyrus, and Sans saw no problem with it.  Heck, it befriended HIM.But then, that one day changed everything...





	1. the first reset

**Author's Note:**

> So it seems my fluffy days have come to an end.  
> Ok maybe not  
> But this fic is not going to be all fluff  
> My fics continue to get longer  
> And this one will probably have multiple chapters but idk it's not really all that important anyway lol

“SANS! TIME TO WAKE UP!” Sans didn't even open his eyes as his brother stomped into his room, but his smile spread slightly wider. He could almost FEEL Papyrus' disapproving glare.

“SANS. I KNOW YOU'RE AWAKE. DON'T LIE TO ME.”

Sans would have argued, but that would entail moving, and giving up, and the bed was just so much more comfortable...

Papyrus frowned at his brother before his face spread into a smirk. He went over and sat on the edge of the bed. Sans' smile faltered a bit and his face scrunched slightly in an attempt to predict his next move, but other than that there was no movement from the small skeleton.

The younger placed his hands on either side of his head and leaned in closely towards his face, but didn't progress past that. 

After a few moments of dark silence Sans became concerned. It became almost suffocating, and he peeked one of his sockets open just to make sure his brother was actually still there and hadn't abandoned him.

The moment he did Papyrus leaned in and stole a quick kiss with a smile, no more than a peck, before he rose and walked over to the door, turning to face Sans once he reached it. “You and I both know there's more where that came from, but I'm not giving you anything if you simply lay there all day.” He smiled again before leaving the room.

Sans had only blushed slightly, but as soon as he heard Papyrus' footsteps exit he held his hands close to his face and sat up, calming himself quickly. He rose and got dressed with a chuckle. The other always seemed to know how to motivate him.

Walking downstairs, he went over and peeked into the kitchen to see Papyrus humming an aimless tune in an apron while working at the stove, probably breakfast. His heart swelled with adoration and he went over and sat on the couch, swinging his feet to the melody his brother had created, swaying his head as he waited.

He finished breakfast quickly, and smiled as he walked out of the kitchen with it to see Sans. He handed him his plate of french toast as he gave him a clank on the forehead before sitting down himself. “Thank you, Sans, you're doing well.”

Even those simple words just made the smaller smile contentedly as he stuck a fork of the food into his mouth, a small blush dusting his cheeks at the praise. Papyrus saying he was 'doing well.' Even if it was just towards his improvement in... well, his... 'bad thoughts,' as his brother called them sometimes, it was definitely a boost in confidence to hear that his efforts weren't futile, and he suspected the other knew that.

The finished eating a bit too quickly for Sans' liking. He would have preferred if they could sit by each other a bit longer, but there was work to be done. The younger skeleton rose swiftly, placing his plate in the sink and heading to the door. “I'LL TRUST YOU TO GET TO YOUR STATION ON YOUR OWN, DON'T LET ME DOWN!” 

He left with a slam that made the couch shake, and Sans winced with a cheerful smile. He'd have to remind him not to do that again... 

Papyrus now gone, he focused on finishing his meal quickly and put it in the kitchen to be cleaned later, heading out the door and teleporting to his station. Papyrus probably wouldn't approve of his laziness there, but he wasn't currently around, so Sans didn't think it mattered enough.

Landing directly in his chair, he settled in softly, laying his head on the wood for a doze. Humans showed up extremely rarely anyway, it was unlikely that one would even show up in his lifetime, if he were honest with himself. Not that he'd ever tell Papyrus his beliefs on THAT subject. 

Before he could even begin to sleep, a small spot of yellow caught his vision and he glanced upward dazedly, spotting his little flower friend. 

“heya flowey, what's up?” Sans asked the question with a smile before it fell. Something was terribly wrong here.

The flower glanced upward with a suspicious expression, guarded. It sank lower into the ground as it looked at him. But that wasn't the real problem here.

The dust. Why did it have dust on it? Grey was speckled across the petals, some falling every once in a while. He looked into its eyes in confusion and fear, letting out a whisper. “what did you do?”

It's eyes widened and it looked down at itself blankly, as if it hadn't even realized the dust there. As if it had no feeling for the monster it belonged to. As if it had murdered the monster itself. 

And then, it smiled.

A psychotic smile, it stretched across its face forming jagged teeth, turning its eyes black as it looked at Sans. His friend. His friend? No. This wasn't his friend. This wasn't Papyrus' friend. He didn't KNOW what it was, but it wasn't Flowey... he couldn't accept that!

“Howdy Sans!” The same voice. How dare this creature speak to him in the same voice as his friend. But before he could even respond, it sunk into the earth. 

He stared at the spot in confusion for a long moment, before a pulse of fear jolted through his soul. But... not his soul. His connection. His... Papyrus!

He teleported, his magic still slightly out from earlier, as far as he could towards his brother. It was almost there. He only had a few meters until the other was in sight. He ran, his small legs not taking him far, but moving quickly despite his lack of exercise, until finally, finally, his brother was in sight! Facing away from him, arms outstretched in a placating gesture towards someone. Scared, but he didn't seem to be in any true danger. He sighed in relief, but it quickly turned into a choked sob as pain swept over the culmination of his being. It felt like it was being split in two, and his eyes welled with tears as he looked up.

His sight was blurry, but it was still clear enough to focus his attention only on what had happened. 

His brother... his lover... HIS PAPYRUS... his head was suddenly gone. Sans blinked, trying to make sense of this, and the pain continued as the body slowly turned to dust right in front of his eyes. He felt the pain of betrayal through the connection. Betrayal...? He couldn't focus on it. Every inch of him was burning, and he fell to his knees as the last of Papyrus' body fell away, leaving only his head. He heard him speaking, but the words would have been unclear had it not felt like he himself were the one saying them.

“I-IT'S OKAY. I'M SURE YOU HAVE YOUR REASONS. YOU KNOW... I STILL BELIEVE IN YOU! ALTHOUGH... ALTHOUGH YOU DON'T SEEM TO BE, YOU MUST... YOU MUST BE HURTING INSIDE AFTER ALL OF THIS, RIGHT...?” There was a pause of complete silence as Papyrus waited for a response, and when none came his voice turned somber. “I understand... I just. If you could...” Sans felt the time drawing to a close through their souls, and he knew Papyrus felt it too. Perhaps he had not noticed Sans' presence yet, too focused on the pain of his own body, but his next response chilled Sans' bones and caused the few tears he had managed to force back to overflow, creating streams down his cheeks as he muffled the sounds he was making with his hands clenched tightly around his jaw. “Tell Sans I love him, so, so much...”

And the head turned to dust.

It revealed the culprit. 

The little golden flower, with the evil, jagged smile.

The tears blurred his vision and the few spots he could see remained blinded by the rage that consumed him. He raise his left hand, the other remaining wrapped tightly around his mouth, and summoned his bones. He must have summoned hundreds before he hurled them all at the flower, representing every feeling. The betrayal, the hatred, and the pain. He would make his friend feel them thousands of times over. After the first wave of bones he sent another, and then another, even after he knew the creature had long since died.

When there wasn't even dust left to mark the passing, he let out a heart-wrenching sound, crawling towards his brother's pile. 

Pile.

All that remained was the red scarf, that red scarf he had given his brother only weeks ago, now covered in white dust. White. He'd always seen dust as dirty. A dead monster. Flowey hadn't been covered in the dust of the angels after all.

But even in death, it seemed, his brother was perfect.

Too good for anything.

Too great for this God-forsaken world.

His memories flashed backward to a similar conversation when he and Papyrus had first admitted their feelings to each other and he clenched the scarf tightly.

His tears came back again as he sobbed into the scarf. 

*DUSTY SCARF.  
*It smells like Papyrus...

He breathed his brother's scent. He let out a bitter, maniacal chuckle at the morbid half-pun in that sentence, curling in on himself.

He just wished. Wished so badly that this were all just a dream...

-

Sans opened his eyes slowly and sat up. The bed was warm. 

“SANS! TIME TO WAKE UP!” His brother burst down the door, smiling at the sight of him already sitting. “OH! YOU ARE ALREADY AWAKE! GOOD!”

Papyrus couldn't possibly have understood the feeling of relief that swept through him at just that sight. He let out another sob, bringing the blanket up to muffle them. In his mind it transformed into a red scarf for a moment, but he shook his head internally. It had all been a dream. Just a crazy, messed up nightmare.

His brother began spluttering at the sight of him crying, feeling the relief and yet fear in their link and immediately walking over to scoop him into a hug, peppering him with kisses, asking what was wrong.

Sans rambled, clenching onto Papyrus' battle body. “i had a nightmare. you-you died, you left me, you were murdered, and all i could think about was how i'd never see you again, and what i had been taking for granted, and i'm so so sorry that i couldn't save you, i'm so sorry, god, why am i so useless, i'm so sorry-” Papyrus' kisses increased at this and he cut him off quickly.

“Sans, you are not useless, and I don't want you to ever think that way again. You are amazing. The Amazing Sans, the brother of The Great Papyrus! After all, I have standards, and I would not have chosen you to be with me if I did not truly believe this.” He pulled back to show the other his smile, entirely genuine. “I love you, Sans.”

Sans' tears slowly stopped and he smiled in appreciation. Papyrus' soul was radiating love and encouragement. He didn't even really need to see his smile to know he was being honest. God, his brother was so cool...

There was a pause, only broken by the sounds of their own souls beating in sync. Eventually Papyrus interrupted it, ever the workaholic. “If you would like, you may stay home today. I will call Undyne and tell her that you are not well.”

Sans' breath picked up and he tried to slow it. “not if you're going out...”

The taller looked down at the bundle in his arms with concern. “You cannot follow me around, it would show that you are well and simply not doing your job.”

“then fine. but i don't want you out there alone, even if we won't be extremely close to each other...” He looked down, tense at brief consideration where Papyrus pondered simply telling him to stay home and rest before he heard a sigh.

“VERY WELL SANS. HOWEVER, If you do feel unwell, I want you to go home immediately, do you understand?” 

Sans smiled and nodded tiredly.

“NOW THEN, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR BREAKFAST! I HAD BEEN PREPARING FRENCH TOAST, BUT WE CAN HAVE IT TOMORROW INSTEAD.” The sentence didn't sit well with Sans, but he couldn't quite pinpoint exactly why. 

The both left the house, telling each other good-bye as they went different directions, Sans heading for his station. He decided to walk this time. He knew that Papyrus'... death... was just a dream, but... he didn't want to take the chance ever again.

He arrived at his station after about five minutes, waving to acquaintances as he passed them. He slumped down into his chair, making an attempt to fall asleep and failing at it, when once again a flash of yellow crossed his vision, and he bolted upward, instantly tense.

“HOWDY SANS!” His... friend... had the same look as from his dream, somehow managing to look even more menacing in this reality, and Sans felt a flash of fear.

It seemed he had been too quick to assume it was a nightmare.


	2. it's okay, i'll see him soon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAHHHHHH I L O V E CONFLICTING EMOTIONS  
> NO HAPPY FUN TIMES IN THIS CHAPTER  
> DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN U

He swallowed tensely as he stared down at the little flower that he had once called his friend. Standing at his station, he waited for the creature's next move. After a long staring contest, he finally spoke in a quiet, cracking voice. “what did you... what do you want?”

The smile widened and the flower turned its head to the side. “I should thank you. I didn't know...” It frowned, looking down at the snow in front of it with a furrowed brow before it looked up again with the same smile. “I didn't realize I couldn't die.” 

Its head tilted, petals bouncing. Sans remained still, paralyzed. In fear? Probably. One wrong move and it could... 

It could kill Papyrus again.

He swallowed once more.

“You know.” It brought his attention back to it, staring upward with the same stiff smile. “You're the first one who's shown any sign of remembering. Nobody else...” It quivered a moment, moving its gaze downward, again with a frown. “They don't remember anything. They don't remember me killing them. It makes me wonder...” The smile resumed once more, eyes haunted. “If I killed you, would you still remember?”

He tensed even tighter before relaxing entirely, the fight going out of him as he studied the designs in the station's wood. “why did you do it? why kill him...? i thought you were his friend, i thought you were m y friend, so... why?”

Sans heard a slight intake of breath before a sigh. ““Why?”” The plant's leaves moved in a shrugging motion, it leaned to the side, relaxed. “I wanted something new. It's all the same now.” It curled in on itself slightly, expression... sad? “It's all the same.” 

It looked up slowly. “But you know...” The sharp-toothed smile spread across its face once more, speaking its final words as it sunk into the ground again. “Now I have something NEW to play with!”

No. Sans refused to let this happen again. The moment the flower sunk to the ground, he teleported. Appearing by Papyrus, he grabbed the other skeleton's arm, glancing around impatiently. He wouldn't let his old friend take the other from him again. He was DETERMINED.

“SANS?” Papyrus jumped as his brother was suddenly beside him and yanking on his arm with urgency. “WHAT'S GOING ON?”

Sans' eyes turned blank. Of course Papyrus didn't remember. He'd made no indication of it this morning, and Flowey's words about him being the only one who DID remember were only confirmed, but that was okay.

He'd just have to try a little harder to protect him.

He was always willing to try.

The flower came out of the ground in front of them, faltering a bit as it saw Sans immediately. Last time he hadn't shown up in time. But that was okay.

It just meant he wouldn't catch him off guard this time.

His vines streaked across the ground to the brothers. They were pinned by bones from the sky quickly, but that was fine.

He'd just have to try a little harder to kill him.

He was always eager to try.

“FLOWEY, WHAT ARE YOU-” Papyrus' words were interrupted as Sans pulled him out of the way of a quicker vine, one that had managed to dodge his bones, and he pierced it with ten, destroying it.

As five more vines came toward him, Sans teleported to just behind Flowey, brother in hand as he aimed five bones at the back of the creature's head. They were deflected by a quickly summoned shield of vines.

Dodge, teleport, attack. Dodge, teleport, attack. The pattern continued until Sans could barely stand. But he couldn't stop trying! He couldn't! He wouldn't- He wouldn't lose another member of his family!

The sudden realization that he wasn't really doing this entirely for Papyrus struck him suddenly, and in the middle of a dodge, he fell. 

He heard Papyrus let out a shriek.

He saw Flowey's smile widen. 

And he felt his body pulled to the side as his brother took the hit.

What...?

No...

Nononononononono-! Not again, not again-!

But it was too late. His sibling was already crumbling to dust.

His head fell. Always the first, and Sans caught it numbly as he sat on his knees in the snow, unable to even rise.

It took a moment to sink in to Papyrus what happened and he looked up at his brother with tears in his eyes.

He felt his fear.

He felt his pain.

And the flower sat there, feeling nothing at all.

It occurred to Flowey that Papyrus hadn't cried the last time. Certainly he had been disappointed. But the feelings concerning his death hadn't sunk in the last... what would he call these events, that reversed everything and let him survive through it all...?

The last Reset. 

Perhaps it was a good thing to have Sans around when he died. It had been the only thing to change. His realization that Sans was there, to watch him literally crumble into pieces.

It certainly made things more exciting.

His smile widened.

“S-Sans-?” Papyrus spoke quietly. Oh, that quiet contrast sent a thrill down Flowey's stem.

“shh- sh, shhh, i'm, i'm gonna fix you up, don't worry- i-i'll find a way, it'll be okay- it'll-” Sans dissolved into tears as Papyrus looked up at him calmly, with a patient and yet sad smile. His tears fell on the other's cheek as he tried to reassure him that it would be okay, that he could fix it somehow-

“Sans.” The tone slowed him down to sniffling as he desperately tried to listen to his brother's words. 

“Kiss me.” 

It wasn't what he'd expected, but with his brother falling to dust in front of him, he refused to deny him anything.

He would die for Papyrus regularly.

A kiss wasn't a problem at all.

He held the skull up to his own face, unable to even wipe his tears as he place their teeth together.

Papyrus' body was down to only his boots.

When he pulled away, the kiss seemed far too short, and he wanted it again, he wanted his brother back, and he hadn't even left yet.

Papyrus inhaled shakily and looked into his eyes sadly. “It will be alright. But please- please, when I am gone, promise me-” Sans breathed deeply at the words, so similar to a memory from so long ago- “Promise me that you won't give up. That you'll take care of yourself?”

His throat choked up and he let out a sob, whispering. “i can't promise that”

The other's face melted into a betrayed expression before simple worry and sadness as the skull began turning to dust in his hands. “It's okay. I forgive you, brother.” 

And he was gone again. 

Sans stared blankly at the dust in his hands, not quite comprehending, before letting out another sob.

“please, flowey- end it. end it all. i don't want to remember- i don't want to remember any of this, so please- if death is the only way-” He looked up at the creature piteously, face wet with tears. “then p l e a s e, just do it!”

And in that moment, Flowey fulfilled his wishes. As he stabbed a vine through the skeleton's soul and ribs, Sans smiled. He wouldn't remember anymore.

And Flowey sighed at himself. Why had he done that? He could have played with him a bit more...

Perhaps it had just been pity, but that wouldn't make sense. He couldn't feel anything, not even with his own mother, why would this small skeleton make him feel instead...?

So maybe he had just wanted to see whether he truly DID forget. Something to confirm earlier, rather than later, AFTER he'd mentally broken the monster.

Or maybe, it was just his incessant need to never finish anything. He never wanted anything to end, and if he managed to break Sans completely, well, that would definitely be an end, wouldn't it?

He thought back to their last moments together. He hadn't realized their feelings for each other had- Well, he supposed it made sense. How close they were, all the time. It reminded him of he and Chara, before they'd...

Well, it wasn't important now.

He sunk into the ground with his thoughts, digging through it and reappearing in Hotland. Whatever the reason he'd had for listening to Sans, he'd have to do this himself now.

His leaves shook and he made an attempt to steady himself, yet failed. Fear, after all, was the one thing he could feel.

He pulled up his own roots.

And used his vines to push him over the edge, into the lava.

A moment of shearing agony, than nothing but a black screen with a single golden word.

*RESET

He breathed deeply for a long while.

He was glad that had worked. That it wasn't simply tied to someone else killing him that allowed this.

Using a vine, he touched the button.

-

Sans woke suddenly.

Tears continued streaming down his face, and they picked up when he realized it.

He hadn't forgotten.

Curling in on his side, he cried into his knees.

His brother barged in. 

“SANS! TIME TO WAKE-” He stopped as he saw the sight.

Sans didn't want him to come near him.

He didn't want to be close to him.

He didn't want to be attached to him.

“Sans, what's wrong...?” The taller skeleton reached out to him, making an attempt to pick him up.

“DON'T TOUCH ME!” Eye flaring blue and gold, bones gathered around him in protection and Papyrus flinched back. 

It took Sans a second to realize what he'd done and he slowly placed his head in his pillow, letting it soak up his newer tears, curling more as his bones dissipated.

“don't come near me...” 

Tense silence filled the room before Papyrus rose and spoke, sounding hurt. “I-it's okay. I forgive you, b-brother!” Sans managed to curl even more.

That's what he had said in the last timeline, too.

The silence continued until Sans heard soft foot-steps out of the room.

-

It took Sans almost half an hour to pull himself out of bed. What was the point? None of it mattered.

It was all going to be reset anyway.

Why even try?

It would be better if he just gave up.

But still, he continued.

That was what his frie- what Flowey wanted.

He couldn't just give in.

After eating a cold breakfast, he teleported to his station.

He couldn't walk there, not today.

The creature was already there, naturally.

It sat, shaking in the cold, looking bored until he popped into place and its smile brightened before it saw the look on his face.

Resigned. 

Flowey felt... guilt?

No. He couldn't feel guilt, he was emotionless! He was getting ahead of himself. 

“No luck, smiley trashbag?” It tilted its head, putting on the evil smirk, as much as it wanted to remove it. It wasn't important.

Sans did indeed smile at that. A soul-less smile, eyes blank as he stared, emotionless.

The silence made Flowey uncomfortable.

“nice nickname.” Sans finally spoke, an empty husk of his old, jovial self. “it fits well.”

His eyelights returned and he stared at Flowey.

“and you'll be the little weed.”

That Reset passed quickly.

Once again, Sans awoke. 

Once again, his brother woke him only to find him crying.

And once again, Papyrus was killed by Flowey.

Eventually, he just stopped trying to save him entirely.

He let the creature kill his brother.

He'd return in a reset anyway.

No matter how much his soul constricted as his love silently begged for him to save him.

It was okay.

He'd be back.

And even if he'd tried to save him...

His soul clenched once more as he sat at his station, feeling the betrayal of Flowey to Papyrus.

He would never succeed.

However, in the first few timelines where he had cared, he learned.

He learned to fight.

Sans had never intended on it. It wasn't a necessary skill in his life.

But it became one.

Dodge, teleport, fight, dodge, teleport, fight.

The pattern would repeat over and over again.

But he was always caught.

The creature always caught him.

And Sans tried to ignore the pain he felt as his brother was torn apart from him again.

And he tried to ignore the pain he felt when he himself was killed at the weed's vines.

Because it was okay.

Everything would be fine.

In the next RESET.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT WAS LONGGG  
> but eh  
> hope you enjoyed ;3  
> In case you're curious about who Sans made a promise to in the past, check the 'Heat' fic in this series!  
> Chapter one isn't for children, but chapter two is mostly just his past!  
> I should probably have put it in its own separate fic, but ehhh


	3. all i have to do is try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans just wants Papyrus to keep his memories of the past timelines. To not be alone.
> 
> I s t h a t s o m u c h t o a s k ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy I returned to this thingy after like a week yayyyyy

The flower grew bored.

What was the point of having someone who could remember, who could at least TRY to do something about it...

If they completely gave up?

Flowey frowned as he pushed aimlessly at one of Papyrus' puzzles, the skeleton in question explaining each and every puzzle for the hundredth time throughout. He sighed as he tried to decide his next course of action.

He wanted more. He needed more.

But Sans just wasn't offering anything new anymore. It was the same smile every day. He said the same things. And Flowey...

Flowey was getting tired of it.

He'd seen everything. The world was growing dull. 

Perhaps...

He narrowed his eyes at the ground, face scrunched in thought.

What if he let time continue just a bit more?

He could see new things! What if some tragedy befell the Underground in the... oh, few weeks longer than he regularly waited? Usually he always Reset after the same period of time. It could be some kind of instinct, but...

Well, he wanted to see more now.

And it wasn't like anything could stop him. Not with the power of the Resets on his side.

He felt a jarring pain, hearing Papyrus scream and turn.

This was new.

He also turned, seeing the little trashbag. He wasn't smiling, and his eye was glowing. Yellow and blue, yellow and blue-

Flowey had no clue what he'd done to piss him off, but whatever it was he was glad.

He was brought before the Reset menu.

His plan still stood.

So, with the assured thoughts that he was indestructible, he continued and didn't Reset when the 6 month date the he normally did came around.

And then...

A Human fell into the Underground.

-  
___ RESETS EARLIER

Sans looked around cautiously before turning and entering the door in the side of his and Papyrus' house.

It was the one thing he hadn't shared with his brother. He didn't... he knew that talking about their father, and what happened to him...

It would lead to him talking about their scars.

And that was the last thing he wanted.

This room meant he had at least some semblance of privacy to put anything regarding him.

But that wasn't what he was in here for now.

He had an idea. A rough blueprint in his mind, of a machine. 

A machine that could keep time consistant. 

At least in a certain area. 

He would be able to tell Papyrus about the Resets, without the fear of him forgetting! And keep everything he'd earned in the past Resets!

He wouldn't lose to that weed.

So, he began constructing the machine. Gathering parts from puzzles his brother didn't even know existed in the forest, asking Alphys without revealing what they were for...

It took a few Resets.

A while of Flowey trying and failing to get him to DO something...!

When he was doing something.

Not that he'd tell the creature.

Each Reset, he progressed closer to completion.

And he finally did it. 

Wiping his brow, he looked at his work.

Building, rebuilding, rebuilding again, never even with the satisfaction of knocking it down, just for the capability of it being the best it could be.

He flipped it on.

A whirr filled the room, but the machine quickly silenced itself. He didn't want something clanky and annoying for Papyrus to grumble about every Reset, after all!

And now, to test it. 

He scratched the back of his head for a moment before a thought occurred to him and he ran back into his house, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil from inside. 

As he ran, he drew. His little brother, as a toddler, Sans himself holding him, looking up at his...

His father. 

The lines were shaky, barely recognizable as people, but Sans smiled down at it anyway, slowing to a walk as he turned the corner, clenching the paper so it wrinkled. He laid it on his workbench as he entered the building. After a still moment of silence, he brought the pencil up close to the paper.

Please, please let this work...

He didn't want his brother to forget.

In a silent prayer, he wrote the words on the crumpled paper. 

“Don't Forget”

Please.

Leaving the paper and pencil there, he dragged his feet back outside, with a only two intentions.

Kill the weed, check the lab.

His eye glowed in excitement and anticipation. What if it didn't work?

Spotting a flash of yellow in the corner of his eye, he paused to turn to it. Papyrus was explaining some puzzles to the creature, and it stared down at the ground, as if thinking hard about what he was saying.

Sans chuckled inwardly. As if.

Summoning some bones before either of them could see, he impaled the weed through the back of its head. Papyrus shrieked and turned to him. Sans felt his own betrayal, the connection suddenly shattering. He breathed deeply and clenched his chest with his right hand, keeping his left up to hold the magic. It hurt, it hurt so badly, so much, ithurtsithurtsithurts-

But he knew.

This was for Papyrus' own good.

The weed didn't deserve his brother's forgiveness anyway.

He caught its eye as it turned towards him. It looked pleasantly shocked.

Of course it would. This was something 'new,' after all.

He fucking hated it.

It collapsed, the face disappearing and leaving a single golden flower in its place.

He smiled.

Now he would just wait.

He saw Papyrus look at the thing, before turning back, tears streaming down his own face.

“How could you do that?”

Sans remained silent.

“He was my friend!”

“...”

“I thought he was your friend too!”

At the complete lack of response, Papyrus' tears strengthened, and he collapsed to his knees, looking at his...

His 'friend.'

Finally, everything faded to black, and Sans woke up in bed once more, immediately darting up and trying to rush out the door.

“SANS! TIME TO- OOF!” He bumped into Papyrus, but he was too hopeful, anxious to care. 

“sorry paps, I gotta do something, seeya!” And he ran around Papyrus, darting out the door.

Papyrus shook his head at the actions happily. It was great to see his brother energetic in the morning! But... He hadn't eaten breakfast! Papyrus gasped, amazed that his brother could forget something so important.

Whatever he had to do must be urgent for him to completely bypass something as important as a meal!

Papyrus walked to the kitchen and prepared breakfast for himself alone.

He didn't have anything important that day, unlike his brother.

-

Sans almost tripped and fell on his face as he ran out the door. The sudden influx of warm emotions he'd felt when Papyrus had come in to wake him up was amazing. Especially after the last Reset...

He shook his head, running around the corners to enter the lab before he-

He stopped, hand two inches from the handle.

What if this didn't work? What if he'd messed up a calculation? He rubbed his hands together nervously before placing one on the doorknob.

There was only one way to find out.

Covering his eyes with his other hand as he entered, he turned to where he knew the workbench was.

The moment of truth.

Slowly, he uncovered his eyes...

It wasn't there.

He fell suddenly, the wave of disappointment crashing over him so strong he thought Papyrus might feel it. He tried to stand, but found his legs were numb. Tears slid down his face.

All of his work, countless Resets-

All for nothing.

He wiped his eyes, shaking as he cried into his arms silently, door still wide open as he-

He caught a glimpse of a paper, slightly crumpled, blown by the wind against the wall.

He crawled over to it, rising to his knees once he reached it, raising a shaky hand out and turning the paper around-

“Don't Forget”

His face morphed into a smile, the tears still strong but now of joy as he clutched the paper close to his chest.

The machine had worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It's fine"  
> "Everything will be okay"  
> "In the next R E S E T"  
> Y'know it could work both ways ;3
> 
> Also Sans being dumb thinking he needs a paper for confirmation completely forgetting about how iF IT WORKED THE MACHINE WILL STILL BE THERE DUHHH  
> LISTEN TO YOUR OWN ADVICE SANS  
> "DON'T FORGET"


	4. i'll apologize in the way i know how

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time for another attempt at skelesmut   
> I finally made them do the do in this fic whooohooo-  
> This thing took me two days to write dang  
> Warnings for bondage, gagging and edging  
> >w>

Flowey hadn't Reset yet, but a problem in his plans had suddenly occurred to him. He wanted to hit his head against the wall for his not realizing it sooner.

He had to have Papyrus in the room when the world Reset. But he didn't even know when the world WOULD Reset. A smaller, portable version of the machine, perhaps in the form of a watch would be ideal. He'd spent hundreds of Resets simply having enough time to make the larger machine, however. Was a smaller even possible...? Though, it would be much easier now. The machine would keep his progress steady, no matter how many Resets passed.

He shook his head as he left the room, heading outside. He'd been working on the contraption, but couldn't manage to find any way to make it. But he still couldn't give up. He couldn't bear the thought of waking up to Papyrus again, not now that he had a WAY for Papyrus to remember, but... he didn't have a choice. It wasn't like he could lock Papyrus in the room every Reset, just to keep him safe and keep his memory constant. 

It had been seven months since the last Reset.

The thought of Papyrus was beginning to make Sans feel guilty.

This was longer than any of Flowey's previous runs had gone. At the beginning of it, he'd pushed Papyrus away. He always did, now. He didn't want any more repeated interactions. He wondered...

Would it be worth trying to repair the bond he'd destroyed? Would there be anything new for him to see? Or would Papyrus start from the beginning, acting as if there had been no gap?

He turned into his home hesitantly.

There was only one way to find out.

Papyrus was cooking dinner. Sans glanced at the clock. He'd been in the machine room all day. Papyrus probably thought he was slacking off. He wandered into the kitchen doorway to watch him. The joy he used to exhibit in his actions was gone. He didn't hum anymore, didn't dance. He made the meal quietly. 

This was his fault, wasn't it?

He cleared his throat. “h-hey bro.” It still sounded scratchy.

The taller flinched, almost dropping a pan before turning around. He was wearing his apron, 'kiss the chef,' with the frills along the edges. Sans' gaze traveled upward, awkwardly looking at him. He himself hadn't technically started a conversation with his brother since almost 40 Resets ago. Had it really been that long...?

“S-Sans?” His voice was quiet. Far too quiet. “I-is something wrong?”

There was a moment of silence. Sans took a step into the kitchen slowly. His brother watched him cautiously. The space between them was suddenly closed quickly as Sans ran up and hugged him. Papyrus let out an undignified squawk, awkwardly holding his hands out from his sides. He wasn't certain whether to hug him back or if Sans would see that as too much interaction... when the smaller finally pulled away, he felt cold. He missed it already.

“Sans...?” Papyrus tried to provoke a conversation, an explanation, one more time.

The tiny skeleton looked up at him. He was unable to hold the gaze. He turned his head downward again. “i'm sorry...”

Papyrus blinked, unsure of where this was going, exactly. “For...?”

“don't play dumb. for pushing you away. i'm so sorry. you deserve so much more than me. and don't try to reassure me about it this time. i've been a trash brother, and a trash lover. i want to make it up to you.” He looked up again. “please, how can i make it up to you? i can... i can clean! i'll pick up my sock! i'll vaccuum the dining room! … wait, we don't have a dining room. living room then! i'll-” 

Papyrus was barely able to cut him off. “SANS! Sans, please- calm down. I am fine. You have no need to repay me! Your apologies are enough! I already forgive you!” He smiled. Everyone needed alone time, every once in a while! … he might have preferred if Sans had gone about it in a kinder way, but... it was the past! It did not affect the present.

Sans had an angrily determined look on his face, however. He didn't seem willing to give up that easily. “paps, i'm not- i've been fucking awful. don't be so forgiving. i don't deserve it.” His gaze flickered around the room. There had to be something for him to do... anything! … his gaze landed on his brother's pelvis in front of him, and he smirked, glancing up at Papyrus to make sure he wouldn't realize. He was looking away, worried and exhausted, at anything that wasn't Sans. Perfect. The smaller raised a hand, roughly raking it down Papyrus' spine.

He jolted upward. “s-sANS WHAT ARE YOU-HAH!” He quickly raised a hand up to his mouth to muffle himself. Not even his spine was regularly this sensitive. Perhaps it was the result of seven months of neglect... whatever the cause, even the light strokes on the vertebrae after the initially almost painful sensation were enough to make it increasingly difficult to keep himself quiet. He used his free hand to push Sans away.

“S-SANS!” He spoke breathlessly, flushed. “YOU CAN'T JUST-!” He was interrupted by a flash of yellow and a moment later he was laying on his bed, his brother on top of him, pinning his legs.

“can't just... what, bro?” He licked his teeth, eye and tongue glowing stunning shades of gold. Papyrus was only mesmerized with them for a moment. He shook his head, pushing Sans off of him and onto the bed so he himself was towering over him, eye sparking orange as his brother's magic faded to blue. Sans moved his hands slowly to behind his head, still smirking. His shirt pulled up slightly, revealing his spine underneath and the very bottom of his ribs.

Papyrus' eye twitched as he glared and his magic's glow grew stronger.

The smell of caramel filled the room.

The taller skeleton's gaze flickered away for a moment before returning as he snaked his hand up Sans' ribs with a blush. Sans let out a gasp, but his smile only grew. He knew he could change his mind...

But that glare... If he were honest, it only made him more horny. “pap- dominate me. i want you to use me like a doll. fuck me senseless~ i've been a bad-” He choked as Papyrus ripped off his scarf and shoved it in his mouth.

“Sans would you kindly shut the FUCK up.” His face was entirely orange. Sans would have laughed if he could. Instead, he settled for a slightly larger smirk.

Papyrus leaned down, lifting his shirt suddenly and biting lightly at the bottom of his ribs. Sans jumped, and his hands tried to dart down to Papyrus' head. They were blocked by something, and he glanced up to see Papyrus was holding them in his free hand. Huh. When had that happened...

He was quickly distracted as Papyrus grazed his teeth lightly over the scar that stood through Resets, licking at it softly. It gave the smaller a strange feeling. Dangerous. Anything close to that scar was dangerous. It could kill him...! 

But he looked down at his brother, gaze softening. No. Not 'anything.' 

Papyrus glanced up at him. Sans was looking at him, but didn't seem to be fully invested... He'd just have to try a bit harder. He brought his hand away from the outside of his ribs, pushing closer to his soul on the inside. Sans began struggling slightly, letting out whimpers. His ribs were showered with reassuring kisses until he was calm. The struggling didn't reach any extremes. He deemed he was in the clear as he carefully looked up at him once more and Sans blushed, looking away with a nod.

He reached in, grabbing at the soul. He sat up as he pulled it out, keeping Sans pinned. His thumb went slowly over the center and Sans shuddered below him, looking up with hearts in his eyes. The soul shone brightly.

Bringing it up to his mouth, he bit down softly, gauging Sans' reaction. It seemed restrained. He blushed more, letting out a small squeak around the makeshift gag. He considered it a good sign. His tongue ran over it, hand holding it in place as he bent closer to Sans. The other had begun shivering.

He took the soul out of his mouth, breathing on and massaging it as he spoke. “You know, brother~” There was a purr in his voice. “I think you do deserve a punishment... You left me alone for so long, never even telling me what I'd done wrong...” He paused a moment before pulling the soul to Sans' left in his hand, leaning to his own left to whisper to him. “I may just take you up on your offer...~” 

Papyrus continued to fondle Sans' soul as he spoke. He could feel him getting close. Even throughout the lack of contact, their connection hadn't split apart. 

He stopped touching it.

It took Sans a moment to orient himself. Papyrus sat back up, looking down on him disapprovingly. Sans let out a cry of indignation, dissatisfaction lingering, quite literally, in his soul.

“Really Sans? Did you forget? The entire purpose of this was so that you could repay me for lost time. So I could, hold on, what were your words? Ah, 'fuck you senseless.' And yet, you were already that close...” He tutted. “Come now, Sans...” His gaze narrowed and he tilted his head, smirking. “This evening is far from over~”

The smaller audibly gulped, magic becoming closer to cyan, a spark of yellow shooting out in surprise as Papyrus quickly maneuvered around him, grabbing at the scarf and pushing him into a sitting position. Using his one hand, he wrapped it around Sans' legs so he almost had to bend backward to prevent himself from choking on the gag more, before he also tied it to his hands. He sat back, admiring his handiwork as he moved around to the front.

“You know, in the time that you were ignoring me, I wondered what it was that I'd done wrong. You had always claimed me to be the coolest brother. I doubted myself.” There was a pause as his gaze shifted to the bed in a glare before moving back to Sans with a smirk once more. “So I did some research. I'll leave everything I saw to your imagination.”

The thought made Sans sweat. He let out an indecipherable moan through the scarf.

“Impatient?” The skeleton leaned forward, running his hand down through Sans' shorts, lightly fingering at the bones. Sans averted his gaze, nodding. His head was snatched by his cheeks, turned to face Papyrus. “No more turning away. Keep your eyes on me, understood.”

He almost moved his head away again, catching himself and nodding at Papyrus.

Papyrus smiled, rubbing at his soul again. Tears welled in the corners of Sans' eyes at the sudden contact against the oversensitive organ. He let out a whine, continuing to watch Papyrus as he requested. The soul was brought back up to his mouth. Licked and nibbled again. And, when he was close to crossing that unseen edge once more- Papyrus stopped.

He let out a whine of frustration, tears beginning to fall down his face as he tried to glare at him, bouncing in place. 

And it went again.

And again.

...And again.

Sans lost track of how many times he stopped. He couldn't see clearly anymore. His eyelights were formed into blurry cyan hearts, broken and hazy in the sockets. The tears ran freely. He was shaking. He wanted to fall backwards, and just SLEEP, but... he wasn't supposed to. Papyrus had told him to watch. He couldn't give up... not when Papyrus was involved...

The skeleton in question finally decided he'd had enough. He placed the soul back into the ribcage, eyeing the blue glow near the other's pelvis. It had been there for a while now, and Sans was probably weak from the overexertion of magic... 

Papyrus inwardly shrugged. He was being let off easy, in his own opinion. He'd ignored him for... what was it, six months now? Seven? He couldn't rightfully ignore his brother twice as long, but... 

He could give him twice as much attention.

He moved his hands to undo the scarf behind his brother. Sans' body seemed extremely weak. Faulty. Submissive. … Perfect, for a doll. He still turned his head to watch, and Papyrus had to commend him. It looked as if the edging HAD managed to get through as a sort of punishment.

His body was weak, but even then, the moment the scarf exited his mouth-

“puh-pleaseeee- pahpss- ah~ fuhhh- fuck meee~ pleaseeeeee~! i-nee-heeeed itttt~” He spoke in sobs. Begging. Cursing.

Papyrus didn't think he'd been more aroused in his entire life.

He ran his fingers over Sans' ribs once more, but the other cried out, putting a weak hand on it and pushing him towards his pelvis. “nuh-noooo... no tee-heesinggg.... pleaseeeee~i justttt- just want you- i-hin... insiiiiide of meeeeee~” He clumsily climbed over Papyrus, falling on him. He made an attempt to push himself up and off, but simply fell again on his sternum as his arms gave out, sobbing. “ple-heeeeaseeeee- justttt- ahhh- pahhhpssss- fuck meeeeee-”

The smirk returned, and Papyrus quickly removed both of their pairs of pants, taking off his gloves before doing so. They were covered in blue. Sans already had his face buried in a pillow, weakly trying to get stimulation from the mattress below him in the short time it took him to throw the soiled clothing across the room. 

“Honestly, Sans, you're acting like I triggered your heat...” Although, he supposed, it was possible. It had been seven months since either of them had one. But, he would smell it if it was. 

Sans heard his brother sit on the bed again and turned his head toward him slowly. He eyed his cock wantonly, and rolled over onto his back, moving a hand down to his summoned pussy as he tried to make Papyrus enter quicker than he regularly did.

They'd both had enough teasing.

Papyrus jumped over him, grabbing the small body and slamming himself into it. There was no pause for breath, Papyrus ruthlessly pounding as Sans scrabbled at the back of his battle body for a place to hold, let out moans of 'more!' and 'please!'

Papyrus was all too happy to fulfill the requests now. It took Sans coming twice before Papyrus himself finally reached his climax. Sans went numb to the feeling in entirety about halfway through, barely even able to tell how many times he finished. Papyrus pulled out slowly, peppering his skull with kisses before collapsing to his side with a contented smile on his face.

Sans' consciousness slowly returned to him, along with a strange scent in the air...

“...do you smell something burning?”

That day Sans counted the longest string of curses he'd ever heard his brother spew.

...Which was certainly saying something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter- probably human  
> This chapter- me still not knowing how to write an orgasm without feeling too awkward to do it hhhh  
> also dangit papyrus unattended cooking is the number 1 cause of house fires  
> Or maybe I should blame Sans for that?  
> Idk Paps kinda got just a little carried away so

**Author's Note:**

> Hey look no proof-reading once again  
> wHO NEEDS IT ANYWAYS AAAHAHAHAHHAHAHA  
> probably me but oH WELL-


End file.
